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Animal companions in our happy homes

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  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Isn't "scornful" the default position for cats, especially in relation to their staff?
  • I am happy to report, in the continuing saga of trying to get my two cats to live together, I have reached the point of opening my bedroom door (Sybil is confined in the bedroom, Oreo has the rest of the apartment) whenever I'm home to supervise. There is hissing, spitting and growling, but so far has been no actual violence.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    That's great news Nicole. Cats sometimes get beyond the bloodletting. With a few growls and hisses: honour is served and no one loses face.
  • RossweisseRossweisse Hell Host, 8th Day Host, Glory
    Piglet wrote: »
    Isn't "scornful" the default position for cats, especially in relation to their staff?
    Not always.


  • Tow cats here when I moved in, both fighting for top cat position. Neither wanted anything to do with me. I have been speaking quietly to each. Someone else feeds them so I can’t win favout there. Yesterday the stray cat brought in as a kitten let me stroke the top of her head. Six weeks it has taken. The purebread Abyssinian cat, a show champion , is nowhere near that place yet. We have to keep our bedroom door shut as the stray makes her mark by peeing on any bed available. Abyssinian is given some treats prescribed by vets with chamomile. Feliway does nothing for him. He is used to a harness from shows so we take him into yard on a very long lead and he loves it.
  • MiliMili Shipmate
    We have a new cat in my household! After poor little Arkie was run over, his owner (my housemate), at first didn't want to get another cat while living in this house. But then she really missed having one so was planning to get one sometime next year. However she began volunteering at the animal shelter patting the cats and kept falling in love with them. She considered adopting a couple of others, but wasn't sure if she was ready for another cat yet and waited to see if they were adopted by others, which they were.

    But then she really bonded with a little one year old female named Legacy, who she has renamed Chaya. She is very small and another tabby, but with white tips to her front paws, white back legs and tummy. Legacy/Chaya had been on a farm in some sort of uncontrolled breeding situation. She was underfed and had not been paid much attention by her previous owners as they owned multiple (multitudes of?) cats. We're not sure if she was caged or running loose around the farm. She is very shy and only moved in on Sunday so has graduated from spending the day in her open cat carrier to moving around my housemate's bedroom a bit. She loves pats, but is still wary, though getting less jumpy day by day. At night she has been running all over the room so we're hoping she becomes less nocturnal in the near future!

    It's lovely having another cat, but eventually she will have access to outside, so I'm really praying she has good road sense.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Georgie is being loving and cuddly now. I have just had a call from a friend who took his cat for her final visit to the vet today :cry: .

    Blackpuss was definitely a man's cat, she loved both him and his flatmate, but any women who visited were ignored. I did manage to feed her once, but that was when she was very hungry and I had to keep my distance.
  • MiliMili Shipmate
    We have had another catastrophe. It really does feel like this house is unlucky for cats :( The weather at the end of last week and Saturday was very hot, with the Bureau of Meteorology even describing the night temperatures as 'oppressive'. On Saturday night my housemate had her window open and Chaya must have leant on the fly wire. It was loose as our landlord had removed it to do some pruning earlier in the day and she must have pushed it out, jumped out the window and run away. Arkie got out the window that way a couple of times, but I think my housemate assumed because Chaya was so timid she hadn't left her room yet and hadn't tried to get out the window earlier in the week that there wouldn't be a problem. She only has an evaporative cooler in her room and you really can't keep windows closed when it's 28 degrees Celsius overnight.

    So far no sign of Chaya, and we had only had her a week so I'm not sure if she will come back or not. She may try to return to her previous home or just live on the streets as she was basically looking after herself until she was taken to the shelter. She was in the shelter for about a month so most of her life has been mostly independent. Praying she comes home when she gets hungry or is found and scanned as she has a microchip with housemate's contact details. Otherwise just hoping she is okay out there. I feel confident she can look after herself, but obviously life as a stray killing native wildlife is not ideal. I'm going away for the next five days so can't help much in the hunt, but housemate has made flyers and will post lost ads online. Can't believe she has to go through this again so soon :(
  • RossweisseRossweisse Hell Host, 8th Day Host, Glory
    Prayers for the return of Chaya ascending.
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    Come home soon Chaya :cry:
  • One of ours was missing for a fortnight once, and we never knew where she was, but she came home just fine in the end. Of course we had had her for a couple of months before this happened. Praying for Chaya.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    I was distressed by a letter I received today. Georgie jumped up on the wheelie bin to offer comfort.

    Well, that's how it seemed,
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    I'm hoping for Chaya's safe return. How frightening, Mili. :(

    Huia, I really believe that our furry family members are very attuned to our feelings. Of course Georgie was wanting to comfort you! That very thing has happened to me and to Daughter-Unit so many times. And the comfort is so appreciated!
  • MiliMili Shipmate
    Chaya came home! My housemate had left the fly screen off and a ladder to the window and she climbed back in at night. So relieved and happy! And I agree Huia that George was comforting you.
  • Excellent good news Mili!
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Mili, relieved for you that Chaya came home, It must have been an anxious wait,

    Yes, I should have remembered how Georgie and I comforted each other during the shaky times, I'm not sure how I would have managed without her.
  • Yay for Chaya!
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    Mili wrote: »
    Chaya came home! My housemate had left the fly screen off and a ladder to the window and she climbed back in at night. So relieved and happy! And I agree Huia that George was comforting you.

    Hurrah! :mrgreen:
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    So pleased to hear about Chaya, Mili - here's hoping she doesn't make another break for it!
  • So happy Chaya not only came home, but appears to know that your house is now home.
  • So glad to hear of Chaya's return. As a farm cat/feral she will take time to get used to life in charge of staff. We've had many ferals over the years - usually ones we fell in love with after fostering and civilising them. They're never quite tame.
  • bassobasso Shipmate
    I recall a feral that stayed with us for a while. Scruffy orange tom that my mother named Jud ("pore Jud is daid...")
    He looked all of that when we coaxed him inside for food. He was never at all tame, but got to the point of curling up on my lap for a while.
  • RossweisseRossweisse Hell Host, 8th Day Host, Glory
    Oh, what good news about Chaya! I hope she decides to stay within your walls in future.

    As for cats offering comfort, the Feline Ministry to the Sick is definitely a thing - and a very good one.

  • What a relief that Chaya came home - she must feel she’s got a good life with you.
  • Re ministry to the sick - once drove 2 domestics to Nottingham ( an hour if you're legal) to see mother in Home. All the residents loved it - but she didn't remember them. They were less than chuffed as well.
  • TubbsTubbs Admin Emeritus
    edited December 2018
    Any tips for convincing a rescue cat there will be adequate food so there is no need to bin dive, attempt to eat from pans cooking on the stove and other crimes?

    The bin diving is a bit messy but no biggie while the possibility of burnt paws is a concern.
  • Took Molly on an evening walk. We encountered a house trimmed with Christmas lights. Molly stopped and stared for a long time, then turned and wanted to go home. So we did. I have to wonder what was going on in her little doggie mind.
  • Tubbs - if you find a way, patent it. Our numerous rescues (and some domestics) have never believed us. Hilary ( so named as gender very uncertain) would grab a piece of meat, and stand on others until he ran out of paws and fell over. All I can suggest is one of those anti-child devices for the stove, followed by attempts to ensure fair distribution of anything else.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Fredegund wrote: »
    ... [he] would grab a piece of meat, and stand on others until he ran out of paws and fell over ...
    Am I the only one here who's imagining that as a Simon's Cat cartoon? :smiley:
  • RossweisseRossweisse Hell Host, 8th Day Host, Glory
    Piglet wrote: »
    Am I the only one here who's imagining that as a Simon's Cat cartoon? :smiley:
    Nope.


  • Quite agree, except that Hilary was a dark tabby. We now have a half Ragdoll, which is I gather what Simon bases his cats on. She however waits for dinner to be served to her. I swear she's holding out for a sprig of parsley and napkin.
  • Molly received a new leash for Christmas. She was not all that excited. Perhaps she wanted a kitten.
  • TubbsTubbs Admin Emeritus
    Fredegund wrote: »
    Tubbs - if you find a way, patent it. Our numerous rescues (and some domestics) have never believed us. Hilary ( so named as gender very uncertain) would grab a piece of meat, and stand on others until he ran out of paws and fell over. All I can suggest is one of those anti-child devices for the stove, followed by attempts to ensure fair distribution of anything else.

    Fair enough. At the moment we're just picking him up and throwing him out of the kitchen in the hope he'll eventually get the idea. The bin now has something heavy on top of it.
  • Someone I worked with used a water pistol as a cat deterrent. I think that was to persuade that cat that it didn't like climbing on the kitchen units, but might that work?
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Has anyone got or had an elderly cat that starts behaving like a kitten? Georgie-Porgy has taken to mountaineering and jumping up on any surface she chooses, bonus points if it has anything that can be knocked to the floor. She's due for a vet visit in February, but I am wondering about dementia. Either that or she's plotting to drive me to strong drink. :smirk:
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    I have a new sport with Tatze. I do so much training with the puppy I felt like she was missing out. Last night was our third session.

    Mantrailing! It’s hide and seek with dogs. 🐕

    You use a dedicated harness and this is their ‘uniform’. Then they sniff the scent item and you say ‘trail’. That’s it then, no more cues verbal or non verbal, the dog is in charge. The signal that ‘work is starting’ is clipping the line from the collar to the harness. You walk a short distance to the start of the trail so the dog doesn’t see where it begins.

    The trail is laid carefully (I think this is for beginners) by walking really slowly and putting your hand on the ground every few yards. The scent article can be anything at all. One trail it was just a stick I’d held for a moment. Kara the Springer found me no trouble just from that. The other dog was a gorgeous boxer called Stanley who wagged his whole body. Once I’d hidden for him I was his new best best friend. His tail was a whip - ouch! Lol. All three dogs were pretty much beginners and we did four trails each.

    We were in Bury town centre - a very alien environment indeed for Tatze, but she aced it! She was so focussed on the trail that the weird sights and sounds were completely ignored. She’d been excited from mid afternoon when I sorted her bag out. Her tail never stopped wagging. On the last trail she went down a disused car park slope and I thought ‘it won’t be down there’ and didn’t follow her. She came back, looked around and set of down again, Becky, the trainer, whispered ‘follow her’ (she knows where they have hidden, we don’t) and lo and behold, the runner was down there! I like the way she let me do it wrong the first time - a lesson learned, trust your dog, the nose knows!

    Hiding, in dark alleys late at night was disconcerting - you could be there ten minutes or so. I got my phone out and read the Ship.

    I didn’t get home ‘till 10:30pm and loved every minute. If anyone had tried to get me off the sofa into minus temperatures hiding in dark alleys late at night six months ago I’d have laughed at them! Tatze was utterly exhausted! Her usual evening default is snoozing with me on the sofa.

    Brilliant fun - I’m addicted!
  • Oh Boogie it sounds like such fun for both man and beast.
  • Huia wrote: »
    Has anyone got or had an elderly cat that starts behaving like a kitten? Georgie-Porgy has taken to mountaineering and jumping up on any surface she chooses, bonus points if it has anything that can be knocked to the floor. She's due for a vet visit in February, but I am wondering about dementia. Either that or she's plotting to drive me to strong drink. :smirk:
    My Robbie suddenly became kittenish and displayed other characteristics (I can’t remember exactly what though) and when I mentioned it to the V.E.T. She gave him medication that worked a treat. A few years later he walked off not to return, so he must have decided enough was enough.

  • I too relate to troublesome felines. My cat is five but has been a bit wild recently and trying to break into cupboards. She nicked my flatmate’s chicken and isn’t particularly popular at the moment. She’s a flat cat and I’m thinking she might be bored. Any ideas for keeping a flat cat entertained?
  • She’s a flat cat ...

    I'm picturing a cartoon character cat who's been run over by a steam roller.

    (But being a cartoon character, it will spring back up alive and well.)

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    You and me both, Pigwidgeon! :mrgreen:
  • Pigwidgeon wrote: »
    She’s a flat cat ...

    I'm picturing a cartoon character cat who's been run over by a steam roller.

    (But being a cartoon character, it will spring back up alive and well.)

    I like it! She still has a good quota of her nine left and can certainly spring to life quickly (regardless of time of day or night).
  • Your flat kitty might like a tower made of empty cardboard boxes with empty paper bags - places to hide and pounce on and from. My non-flat cat likes to protect me from scrunched up pieces of paper on the floor.
  • Our cat liked ping pong balls to play with as they move unpredictably.
  • My cat is scared of ping pong balls. She’s scared of spiders too, and blackbirds- a real scaredy cat.
  • Yes, well, my cat was a thug.
  • RossweisseRossweisse Hell Host, 8th Day Host, Glory
    Yes, well, my cat was a thug.
    In what sense?

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    ... my cat was a thug.
    I'm imagining a huge cat with tattoos ... :mrgreen:
  • A big tomcat (albeit spayed) that ruled the neighbourhood, too big for a standard cat box, after the first time we used one for a small dog and the vet laughed that this wasn't a cat, until he opened the door and the cat marched out, tail up and explored the room. And that the vet could see why he wasn't in a standard cat box.
  • bassobasso Shipmate
    We had a cat that my mother named Floyd. ("Such a pretty boy!")
    Somehow he became Floydermaus. And then Floundermaus. The last one suggests that he could have been flat, but he wasn't.
    (Yeah, I guess I was probably responsible for the latter two nicknames.)
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